


The Re-Turning of the Tide

by wotshername



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Babyfic, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Other, Post-JE, Pregnancy, Romance, Tiny bit of Angst, like a really tiny bit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-11-26
Packaged: 2021-01-15 09:49:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21251420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wotshername/pseuds/wotshername
Summary: My petty self decided to re-write that story (you know the one). The Doctor and a heavily-pregnant Rose attempt to stop a group  of alien pirates from stealing all the water on planet earth. Now including all the fluffy goodness we deserve.





	1. The Worm in the Apple

**Author's Note:**

> A rewrite of The Turning of the Tide, in which The Doctor gets to keep his name and The Doctor and Rose are happy, in love, and in character. 
> 
> I was feeling upset/angry/conflicted by that story so I decided to re-write it, maybe it’s petty but I don’t really care. I was hoping to post it all in one, but the plot bunnies have got slightly carried away and I really wanted to get the first bit out.
> 
> The storyline itself is similar to the other version, my theory is that if it’s close enough to the story but different enough to right the wrongs, it’ll be easier to replace in our minds (so there are things in here that aren’t my personal HC’s, don’t come for me). 
> 
> The bits you recognise weren’t written by me (I have completely re-worded a lot of it but some bits I did just take from the text), and I don’t own any of it. No disrespect meant to Jenny T. Colgan, this is just an alternative take on what essentially remains her idea, in a way that I personally feel is more true to the characters. Oh, and I gave them a cat because cats are great.

The Doctor had fallen asleep under the biggest apple tree in their orchard, a breeze ruffling his thick brown hair. Rose smiled softly when she saw him, long legs stuck out straight, arms folded over his chest. He’d had a late night helping deliver a baby in the next village over; The ambulance had broken down en-route and there was nothing they could do beside call the local GP. Rose cupped her own bump, knowing that in a couple of short weeks it would be their turn.

_Hopefully nothing as dramatic will happen to us when the time comes_ Rose thought to herself.

Rose sighed as she sat on the bench on the back porch, and looked out at the orchard. The late-afternoon summer sun gave everything an orange glow. Rose spotted their tabby cat Nala ambling over to The Doctor, and then curling up on his lap. He remained as still as a statue. 

Rose stroked her bump again, making a mental list of things she still had to do today. Now she was officially on maternity leave she was sure to give herself plenty of things to do, she didn’t want to just watch TV and wait for the baby to come. Her mum had told her to take it easy- that she won’t be getting a moment of rest once the baby arrives, but Rose had never been one for sitting around being idle. Even with the jobs she gave herself, Rose found herself to be at a loose end for the majority of the day. Today hadn’t been so bad as The Doctor was home, although he wasn’t the best company at that present moment, but most days he spent the day at work and Rose spent the day wishing he was home with her (he, of course, spent his day wishing he was home too, but they had agreed early on that they wouldn’t take any of Pete’s money, and they needed some from somewhere).

Rose took an apple from the basket beside her. She had filled it up earlier, as she did every morning.

‘Really hope you like apples, because we have plenty,’ Rose said to the bump ‘and god help you if you’d rather have pears. I don’t think your father would ever forgive you.’

She took a bite out of the shiny red fruit, instantly realising something was wrong with it. A maggot hole appeared, and she immediately spat out the contents of her mouth.

‘Well there’s no need to spit.’ A small voice squeaked.

Rose looked around. ‘What?’ she said. Who had said that?

‘Down here,’ said the voice.

Rose glanced at the ground, mostly convinced that she was hearing things.

‘Hello?’ The voice called, sounding irritated.

Finally, Rose looked at the apple she held in her hand. Poking out of it was a long silver worm, it’s head waving around trying to get her attention.

‘What in the....? What are you?’

‘I’m a worm.’ The worm said.

‘But you’re made of metal.’

‘Yes.’

‘So you’re a robot worm?’

‘If you like.’ The worm sounded exasperated.

‘How are you even talking to me?’ Rose asked. ‘You don’t have a mouth.’

‘Speaker,’ said the worm, offering no further explanation.

Rose glanced over at The Doctor, who was still fast asleep. ‘But how … how did you get in my apple?’

‘Implanted as a seed, Rose Tyler.’

She didn’t even want to know how it knew her name. ‘To the exact apple you knew I’d pick?’ She asked instead.

The worm snorted. ‘Of course not! I can’t predict the future. There’s lots of us, but now I’ve been activated the rest will start degrading into nothing.’

Rose glanced at the pile of apples in her basket, not sure she wanted to eat them now there was a chance they’d contain degraded robot worms.

‘Now, to the matter at hand,’ the worm continued, ‘can I speak to the Doctor, please?’

Rose glanced over at the man under the tree, suspicion brewing. What did this worm want with her husband?

‘He’s not here at the moment.’ Rose said, feeling guilty but needing to know the worm’s intentions before giving anything away.

‘I can see him over there. Under the tree.’

‘How? You don’t have any eyes!’

‘I have sensors.’

‘Right, of course you do.’

Rose wasn’t sure what to do now. She couldn’t help but be concerned, even though the robot worm seemed friendly enough.

‘I’m not sure what you want from him, but I don’t think he’s The Doctor you want,’ she whispered, feeling guilty again.

The worm waved his head around. ‘He looks like the one I want,’ it said.

‘Well yes, that’s because he is The Doctor, just not the one I think you’re looking for,’ Rose whispered again, the last thing she wanted was for him to wake up right now.

‘So to clarify, is he or isn’t he The Doctor?’

‘He is.’ Rose said firmly

‘Well in that case....’ Suddenly a monstrous honking sound blasted out of the tiny creature. Rose let out a shout and dropped the apple. The Doctor sat bolt upright

‘Rose?’ He shouted, not entirely sure where he was or what he was doing. He quickly registered that he was in the orchard, that it was around 5.30pm, and that Rose was sat on the porch bench, an apple at her feet. He frowned and squinted as he noticed something metallic sticking out of the apple. Rose picked it up, leaving the apple on the ground.

‘Less of that thank you,’ she said to it.

‘My love, I think you might be going insane.’ The Doctor called to her, pushing Nala off his lap and standing up.

‘Just come over here.’ Rose shouted back in response.

He did as he was told, sitting down next to Rose on the bench and sliding his arm around her.

‘Well you’re a very odd looking worm aren’t you?....Are you a worm?’ He said to the thing on Rose’s hand.

‘I am.’

‘A talking worm made of metal...am I still asleep?’

The worm jumped forward and gave The Doctor a small electronic shock.

‘OWW!’ The Doctor shouted, ‘What was that for?’

‘Proving that you aren’t asleep.’

Rose couldn’t help but laugh. 

‘This isn’t going to be easy,’ Rose had told him, sitting on the edge of the bed in their hotel room in Norway, The Doctor stood by the window, looking out over the small Norwegian town below.

‘I know it isn’t,’ The Doctor replied quietly, not turning to look at her.

‘We’ll be alright though.’ Rose said firmly. She had no idea where that confidence had come from.

‘Yeah?’ He turned to her, small smile dancing across his lips.

‘I know this isn’t what you wanted, being stuck here...’ Rose continued, looked down at her lap, her sudden surge of confidence gone.

‘Being stuck with you, that’s not so bad.’ He quoted. She looked back up and saw a glimmer of mischief in his eye.

He walked over to the bed and sat down next to her, casually sliding his arm around her shoulders, not wanting to go any further in case he pushed her away. They sat in silence for a few minutes, both knowing the next few words they said mattered.

‘This is certainly not what I expected,’ he said, breaking the quiet ‘but I’m happy to be here. With you.’

She leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. She felt a tear slide down her cheek.

‘I missed you.’ She whispered.

‘I missed you too.’ He whispered back.

They decided to spend a few weeks in Norway, neither of them ready for the world of paperwork, formalities and work waiting for them in London. They moved from the hotel to a small cabin in the woods, the privacy giving them a chance to get to know each other again. Rose quickly discovered that he was still the man she loved, with an added dash of sass and an ability to express emotions. They spent their days walking together, sharing stories of their time apart, reliving memories of their time travelling together, and laughing at inside jokes both old and new. They bought fresh food from the market every morning, and spent every evening sat round the fire they’d built outside the cabin, eating and talking and just thoroughly enjoying being together.

On Day 5, Rose realised she was more in love with him than ever before; something she previously hadn’t thought possible.

About 2 weeks in, Rose woke up to find his side of the bed vacant. She panicked, leaping out of bed, to see the door to the cabin open. She found him outside sitting on a rock, just looking up at the stars. She silently sat next to him and took his hand, wondering whether she could ever be enough for him.

‘I definitely got the better end of the deal.’ He said simply. She immediately knew what he meant. 

‘Yeah?’

He turned to look at her, ‘oh yes.’

‘I love you.’ Rose said, tears gathering in her eyes. The last time she’d told him she’d been alone and heartbroken, oh how things change.

‘I love you too, so much.’ The Doctor replied, grinning at her.

Rose let go of his hand and encircled him with her arms. They moved towards each other and their lips met for their first kiss since Bad Wolf Bay. When they (eventually) pulled apart The Doctor took both of her hands, leading her inside. No more words needed to be said.

That night they made love for the first time (and second, and third...), and it quickly became their favourite pastime.

Neither of them wanted it to end, they just wanted to stay in this bubble. About 5 weeks in, Rose awoke to see The Doctor (his facial hair now at that awkward stage between scruff and beard) in the small kitchen area making them breakfast, and she realised that if they didn’t leave now they never would. After genuinely considering calling the owner of the cabin and asking how much it’d take to buy it, Rose decided that no, they needed to go back to London. It was time to face reality.

‘I’m gonna need a name,’ he’d said that night, their last night in Norway. They were laying in bed with their limbs intertwined, Rose’s head resting on his bare chest.

‘You have a name.’ Rose replied, snuggling into him and pressing gentle kisses on his skin, working her way up his neck and to his jaw.

‘I mean an official name. For admin purposes.’ She noticed that he hadn’t moved his head, his eyes trained on the ceiling.

‘Any ideas?’

‘Well I was thinking that I might go with John. That’s the pseudonym I usually use, I’m less likely to forget it.’

‘Good idea.’ Rose said, pressing a kiss to his cheek, wondering why he seemed so nervous.

‘And for my surname,’ he gulped ‘for my surname, my family name, I was thinking...if it’s ok with you, that I could use ‘Tyler’ because, well, I want us to be a family.’ He was too scared to look at Rose, terrified she’d scoff and tell him she didn’t want him using her surname. That he’d misunderstood, that once they got back to London she wanted to go separate ways.

‘You want us to be a family?’ He heard Rose say, not an ounce of derision in her voice. He stole a look at her, to see her grinning at him.

‘Yeah. I do, I really really do.’ He said, feeling relieved.

She blushed at his choice of words, _One thing at a time Rose! _She shouted at herself internally.

‘Doctor John Tyler.’ She said thoughtfully, trying the name out.

‘Sound like someone you want to spend forever with?’ He asked, voice a fraction above a whisper.

‘I want to spend forever with you no matter what your fake name is.’ She replied, matching her tone to his. She pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, which he reciprocated happily.

Yes, they really were going to be alright.


	2. Names are Hard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the kudos and comments on the first chapter, it means a lot that people are enjoying my version of this story. As always, I own nothing and no disrespect is meant to anyone. 
> 
> Not sure when chapter 3 will be posted as I’m on holiday next week (can’t wait for my pale British skin to feel the sun again) so it’ll either be posted at the end of this week or in 2 weeks. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this one! Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated :)

The Doctor had downright refused to work at Torchwood.

‘It’s their fault we were separated in the first place!’ He’d said when Rose suggested the idea.

It was the beginning of their third week in London, and Rose had returned to work the week before, leaving The Doctor to his own devices for 9 hours a day (the microwave and the toaster had not survived). She’d been afraid to bring the subject up and decided to do it casually over dinner.

‘That was the one in our old universe. Do you really think I’d work for them if they were like that here? ’ Rose was slightly offended, she understood his distrust of Torchwood, but surely he trusted her?

‘No of course I don’t.’ The Doctor said softly, ‘I trust your judgement completely, and if you say they’re fine here then I believe you...I just can’t Rose, I can’t work for them. I’m sorry.’ He looked down at the plate in front of him, unable to look her in the eye anymore. He seemed so sad and vulnerable, Rose felt her heart sink. 

Rose got up, walked around the table, bent down so they were level and pulled him into a tight hug.

‘Hey it’s okay, I do understand.’ Rose said, ‘I’m sorry. I know this isn’t what you want and if things were different you wouldn’t have to work anywhere, but I can’t afford to keep both of us.’

‘I know.’ He mumbled into her shoulder ‘And I want to do something, I think I’m already going stir crazy.’ 

She pulled away and looked at him.

‘We’ll figure it out.’ She told him. ‘Together.’

Six weeks later, The Doctor sat for his medical exams (which he passed with flying colours).

For the first year they lived in London, in the flat Rose had moved into not long after arriving in this universe (she loved her mum, but she couldn’t handle living with her anymore). The flat was very small, but it was cosy and it was theirs. The Doctor began working as a GP in a nearby clinic, and Rose carried on working at Torchwood (she was, however, no longer on active duty, her role now was Head of Alien Integration a.k.a helping displaced aliens acclimatise to life on earth.)They carved out a routine of cooking together, date nights twice a week, dinner at the Tyler Mansion every Sunday (it was _not_ optional), binge-watching tv shows in the evenings, and spending every night wrapped in each other’s arms.

Roughly 5 weeks after their first anniversary, Rose woke up feeling the strongest nausea she’d ever experienced. The next few days were spent in bed, unable to eat anything more complex than bread and butter without throwing up. The Doctor was out of his mind with worry, he was (irrationally) convinced that she was dying. That Saturday night, Rose phoned her Mum to tell her they wouldn’t be making lunch the next day,

‘And why not?’ Jackie almost shouted down the phone.

‘I’ve been sick for the last 4 days, I can barely get out of bed.’ Rose replied, making sure to cough at the end of her explanation. 

‘You’re not pregnant are you?’

‘Of course I’m not!’ Rose replied quickly, this conversation was straying into an area she did not want to visit with her mother.

‘Okay, well you’ll have to come over one evening after work,’ Jackie conceded, for possibly the first time ever ‘Tony misses you.’

‘Alright fine,’ Rose spotted a concerned Doctor hovering in the doorway ‘look I’ve gotta go, I’ll call you. Bye.’

‘Bye sweetheart, and make sure that boyfriend of yours is looking after you.’ Jackie ended the call.

Rose rolled her eyes as she threw the phone down on the bed next to her.

‘Want to try having a cup of tea?’ The Doctor asked.

‘Sorry what?’ Rose said, completely distracted.

‘Tea?’

‘Oh sorry, yes please. No milk though yeah?’

The Doctor disappeared from the doorway and Rose went back to the frantic calculations she’d started doing the minute her mother mentioned pregnancy. It had not even crossed her mind as a possibility, but now her mum had said it...she couldn’t shake the feeling that it was the correct diagnosis.

Rose got out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. She searched through the cabinet to find the pregnancy test she kept in there (she had been mortified when her mum had bought it for her, dropping it off with the other supplies she bought them when they first got back to London from Norway).10 minutes later, Rose found herself sat on the edge of the bath staring at a little plus sign.

‘Doctor, can you come in here?’ Rose called out.

‘Everything ok?’ She heard him call from the bedroom.

‘I’m in the bathroom.’

A second later he appeared, concern etched on his face.

Rose just held out the pregnancy test, not trusting her own ability to speak.

He fully entered the room and took it from her. Rose looked down at the floor.

She hadn’t been this scared in a long time. 

‘What is this?’ He asked.

‘It’s a pregnancy test.’

The Doctor put the little stick down on the sink and sat down on the edge of the bath next to her, saying nothing.

‘It’s a positive pregnancy test.’ Rose clarified.

The Doctor stayed silent.

‘Say something please.’ Now there was a sentence Rose never thought she’d have to say to him.

‘....I....’ He took a deep breath ‘I don’t understand....how?’

‘Well Doctor, you know that thing we do-’

‘No I know _how_,’ he cut her off ‘I just don’t know....how? We always use...’

‘I know.’

They sat once more in silence. Rose was still focused on the floor, trying to keep her breathing under control.

‘Are you upset?’ The Doctor asked finally, his free hand finding hers.

‘No. No I’m not. I’m feeling a lot of things right now...but upset isn’t one of them. What about you? Areyou upset?’

‘No.’ He said slowly, ‘Shocked, terrified, but...happy, definitely happy.’

Rose finally looked at him and saw him smiling at her.

‘I’m happy too.’ Rose said softly, eyes welling up.

He leaned towards her and rested his forehead against hers.

‘We’re gonna be parents.’ He said, matching her tone.

‘Yeah.’ Rose croaked out, tears beginning to fall.

They grinned at each other. The Doctor pressed a gentle kiss to the tip of her nose, then to both of her cheeks, then finally her lips.

‘Spose I better ring my mum back up.’ Rose said, pulling back and drying her eyes.

‘Could we just keep it to ourselves for a bit?’ The Doctor asked, wiping his own eyes. ‘I’m terrified of what her reaction will me, I need time to prepare.’ 

‘Don’t worry, she’ll be happy about it.’ 

‘That’s precisely what I’m worried about!’ 

He was right to be worried. Jackie’s immediate reaction was to give him a big sloppy kiss smack on the lips. He wasn’t sure he’d ever recover.

They quickly decided they needed to move; the flat was fine for the 2 of them, but a third party would make it unbearable. They found a beautiful old converted barn in a tiny hamlet on the Kent Coast, with views of the channel, gardens and an orchard. It was in desperate need of repair (hence why they could actually afford it) but it was nothing they couldn’t manage themselves.One meeting at the bank later and they had a mortgage. Two months later (after spending every evening and weekend doing it up) they moved in.

The Doctor quickly found a job in the local GP’s office and it was still close enough to London that Rose could commute into work (although she often worked out of her home office). The next couple of months saw them adopt a cat (or rather, the cat adopted them. She walked into the house and Rose instantly fell in love with her. The Doctor was less impressed), and get married (a small registry office wedding, much to Jackie’s distress). They had suddenly become the definition of domestic, and The Doctor had never been happier (neither had Rose for that matter).

Occasionally The Doctor found himself quietly slipping out of bed and heading out to the garden. The stars were so bright here and The Doctor found them comforting to look at on nights where bad dreams and memories would not leave him be. He wouldn’t trade Rose for anything, but he did wish he could show her more of the universe. Or rather, that they had a way of discovering this brand new universe together. More often than not, Rose would join him out there and wrap her arms around him. She understood. As happy as they were, she missed the stars too.

‘I’m putting you down,’ Rose said to the worm, placing it carefully on the bench between The Doctor and herself.

‘Doctor!’ The worm began speaking in a different voice, this message must have been prepared by someone (or something) else. ‘If you are receiving this message, there has been sufficient rainfall to ripen my craft, and danger is imminent!’

Rose and The Doctor looked at each other. Usually they’d have jumped at the chance for adventure (they were still them after all), but given Rose’s current condition, both of them were scared for the safety of their unborn child above anything else. Rose put her hand on her stomach protectively, as The Doctor squeezed her shoulder.

‘You know I’m not The Doctor right?’ The Doctor said, he felt Rose tense up.

‘She said you are.’ The worm said, pointing it’s head at Rose.

‘Ok, alright, I am The Doctor, but I’m not the one you want. You’re in the wrong universe,’ sighed The Doctor. ‘Easy mistake to make.’

‘There aren’t cracks opening up again, are there?’ Rose asked, suddenly worried. Daleks and Cybermen coming through the void was the last thing they needed.

The Doctor shook his head. ‘Must have fallen through before the last gaps sealed up.’

‘I’ve been here for a year,’ the worm affirmed. ‘Waiting.’

‘Well…you can give me your message,’ The Doctor said, ‘but…I don’t…I mean, there’s nothing I can do.’ He rubbed the back of his neck,‘I’ve sort of got out of the universe-saving business.’

‘Doctor!’ said the tiny worm, the message starting again. ‘If you are receiving this message, there has been sufficient rainfall to ripen my craft, and danger is imminent!’ 

‘Oh, that’s the message?’

‘What more do you want in a preliminary message?’ The worm asked, offended,

‘Touché...well what is it?’ The Doctor asked.

The worm started playing the message again.

‘No, no, not that.’ The Doctor interrupted ‘I meant, what is the imminent danger?’

‘Cask Men are heading for this planet.’ the worm said. ‘They scooped out the five diamond oceans, and they’re heading for you next.’

‘They can’t be.’ The note of terror in The Doctor’s voice confirmed Rose’s worst fears.

‘Are you sure it’s this earth you mean? Not the other one.’ Rose asked the worm.

‘I am certain, my pod would not have ripened if they were not nearby.’

‘So your people sent a robot from…the five diamond oceans....that’s Leffluit right?’ The Doctor said, trying to process the information.

The worm nodded.

‘Is Leffluit...?’ The Doctor tailed off, not wanting to say the words,

‘It would not have taken my creators long to die.’ The worm said, bowing its head.

The Doctor took a deep breath and sat back, deflated. Rose wasn’t sure what to do, so she placed a hand on his knee, stroking it gently.

‘Cask Men, Cask Men …’ He muttered to himself. ‘Hang on. Let me think...if I remember correctly, the water dried up on their world. So they learnt how to steal it from other planets. Then they went into business, scooping up water and selling it to planets running low. Or at least the ones in our old universe did, though I can imagine the ones here are the same.’

‘How has no one stopped them? Surely it’s illegal?’ Rose asked.

‘Oh of course it is, but no one wants to risk their planet being targeted, so no one goes looking for them. Honestly I was half-convinced they were an urban legend. You only ever hear them talked about in quiet corners, and the last time anyone mentioned them to me was a good, oooh I don’t know, 300 years ago?’ He’d started talking a mile a minute, almost excited. Despite how terrifying the situation was, Rose loved seeing him like this and she couldn’t help but feel slightly excited too.

‘And their victims can’t steal their water back?’

‘I guess not.’

‘Cask Men can survive for six weeks without water, most beings can only last 24 to 38 hours.’ The worm offered as an explanation.

‘Well that would explain it.’The Doctor said, rubbing his eyes. ‘Do you have anything else to tell me Mr....erm...Worm?’

‘Do you have to call me _Worm_?’ The worm complained.

‘Well you didn’t give us your name.’ The Doctor responded.

The worm bowed his head. ‘I haven’t got one. I was thinking you could give me one. I tried thinking of one myself but...names are hard.’

‘Names are hard,’ Rose empathised, they were in the process of trying to pick a name for the baby and it was certainly a challenge.

The worm sighed sadly.

‘Well, you came to Earth in a pod. Any ideas in that region?’ Rose asked, struggling.

‘Haha, like Superman.’ The Doctor piped up.

‘I like the name Superman!’

‘We can’t call you Superman.’ Rose said firmly.

‘What about Clark?’ The Doctor suggested.

‘Clark...Clark....I like it.’ The worm brightened up considerably.

At this second Nala, who had made her way over to them, took a swing for the worm. Rose moved her hand out of the way in the nick of time, saving the newly-christened Clark.

“Okay let’s get you inside before she tries to eat you.’ Rose stood up and said to The Doctor as she entered the house “Can you keep her outside whilst I get this one somewhere safe?’

The cat attempted to follow Rose into the house, causing The Doctor to rapidly block her.

Nala gave The Doctor a furious look.

‘Don’t blame me for this, you brought this on yourself!’ The Doctor said, ‘you can’t eat our friends! Even if they are worms!’

He swore he saw the cat roll her eyes, before sauntering off, back into the orchard.

‘The Cask Men …’ The Doctor muttered to himself. They were making dinner together, as they did every night (he was cutting potatoes at the sink, Rose was cutting carrots at the table.) Clark was safely stowed away in the plant pot on the windowsill, basking in the last dregs of sunlight.

‘What was that?’ Rose asked.

‘Nothing, I’m just trying to remember more about the Cask Men. I have no idea what their ships look like, they might well be here already. I’d have no way of knowing.’ The Doctor responded, frustration evident in his voice.

‘You can’t remember?’ Rose said sympathetically. He’d kept all of his memories, but with over 900 years of knowledge, he did forget things occasionally.

‘No I’ve just never come across them, as I said earlier, I thought they were little more than a legend or a horror story, A bit like the bogeyman. You know, most civilisations have their version of the character, but there’s no evidence to suggest the creature actually existed.’

‘Are you telling me the bogeyman isn’t real?’ Rose feigned shock.

The Doctor chuckled, ‘We learnt a poem about the Cask Men at The Academy, I can’t quite remember it though.’ He sighed, ‘I’m such an idiot sometimes.’ He added quietly.

‘It was 900 years ago, give yourself a break. I barely remember half the stuff I learnt in school and I only left 10 years ago.’

Rose moved over to him and pulled him into a hug, the baby bump forcing them into a slightly awkward position, but it was still a gesture The Doctor greatly appreciated. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and a hand to her bump.

‘Thank you.’ He said simply. 

‘I wish you could see yourself the way I see you.’ She said so softly The Doctor wasn’t sure she even meant to say it out loud. 

Later that evening, they were in the living room, Rose laying on the sofa, her head in The Doctor’s lap, The Doctor absentmindedly stroking her bump as they watched TV together. Nala had wandered back into the house and had made herself comfortable in front of the fireplace in the corner.

Rose could feel herself drifting to sleep. Just as she was on the verge of falling, she heard the distinct sound of The Doctor muttering to himself.

‘Everything alright?’ She asked, yawning.

‘Yeah, I just think I’ve remembered that poem. Well some of it anyway.’

‘Oh yeah? How does it go?’ She repositioned herself so she was looking at him instead of the television.

‘Well it’s in Gallifreyan so I can’t translate it exactly, but the gist of it is that they come quietly in the night and drain the planet dry. Doesn’t exactly give much more information to be honest.’ He rubbed the back of his neck.

‘I don’t know, the night thing could be good to know.’

He started muttering in gallifreyan again. ‘Oh ok, actually there’s a bit more I can translate that might be useful, something about a ship of clouds bringing death and famine.’

‘And you learnt that at school?’

‘Oh that’s tame compared to some of the stuff they taught us.’ He said in a manor Rose suspected was meant to be light-hearted, but there was an undercurrent of pain that drove Rose to take hold of his hand and squeeze it. The Doctor had told Rose all about his difficult childhood (if you could call it a childhood) whilst they were in Norway, and she knew it wasn’t something he liked to dwell on.

‘I’ll text my Dad and let him know, Torchwood are already monitoring the situation, so the more we can tell them the better.’ Rose said, shifting the subject.

‘Well that’s all we can do for now I ‘spose.’ The Doctor said quietly. Rose could tell that it was hurting him, knowing that something was happening but not being able to do anything about it.

He let out a yawn, setting Rose off again.

‘I think it’s time for bed, don’t you?’ She said, making moves to get up.

‘I have some stuff I have to do in the nursery first, at this rate it won’t be finished in time.’ The Doctor said, before yawning again.

Rose cupped his cheek with her hand.

‘It can wait for tonight, you’ve got another couple of weeks yet. Even if the baby comes before it’s done, I’m sure they won’t mind.’ She teased, giving him a tongue-touched smile.

‘I’ll mind! I want everything to be right.’

Rose loved that he was trying so hard, that he was determined to be a good dad, but tonight he needed to put himself first.

‘Did no one ever tell you not to argue with a heavily pregnant woman? You need to sleep.’ She stood up and took his hands, lifting them upwards indicating for him to come with her.

‘Fine, fine, you’re the boss.’ He stood, and allowed himself to be led out the room and up the stairs.

‘You’ve locked the kitchen right? The last thing we need is Nala eating Clark.’ Rose asked as she stopped halfway up.

‘Already taken care of.’

‘Okay good. I’ve heard so many horror stories about pets eating other pets...’ Rose carried on up the stairs.

‘Wait, we are not keeping Clark as a pet!’

‘Rose laughed, putting her fears of the Cask Men to the back of her mind.

There was no point worrying about that right now.


	3. The Lighthouse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, I’m back! Sorry it took a bit longer than I said it would, it took a while (and several re-writes) for me to be happy with this chapter, but here it is. As always, no disrespect is meant, and I own NOTHING. 
> 
> Enjoy!

The Doctor couldn’t sleep.

He’d spent the night tossing and turning, unable to settle. He was trying desperately to remember the rest of the poem, but there were a few lines he just couldn’t recall. It was useless, the Cask Men were on their way and the best he could come up with is “they’ll steal all the water and we will all die.” He opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. The glow-in-the-dark stars they’d stuck up there as a joke were taunting him; he made a mental note to take them down as soon as this business with the Cask Men was sorted.

_If it’s sorted._

He rolled on to his side and was met by the sight of his sleeping wife. It still felt bizarre to him that _he_ was married to Rose Tyler; the most beautiful, brave, fantastic woman in the universe - in every universe. He took in Rose’s face, which was illuminated by the early morning light peaking through a crack in the curtains. He gently stroked her cheek, and his racing thoughts immediately calmed. He’d always loved her, always needed her, but since becoming part-human, that love and need had grown to levels he could barely comprehend. She was his life, his reason for being. The thought of spending a day, let alone months or years, away from her was unthinkable. She was his everything. His light in the darkness.

_Wait_.

_Darkness_.

He sat bolt upright.

Rose stirred, her hand instinctively flying to her bump.

‘It’s somewhere in the gloom.’ The Doctor said aloud.

‘You what?’ Rose mumbled, halfway between awake and asleep.

‘The Cask Men. They are somewhere in the gloom.’ With that he climbed out of the bed, the cold air hitting him the second his feet touched the ground. He began to get dressed.

Rose sat up, rubbing her eyes ‘what are you doing?’

‘I’m going to the lighthouse, I have an idea.’

He left the room in a hurry. Rose got out of bed, pulled on her dressing gown and followed him downstairs as quickly as she could. Still weary, she found him in the porch lacing his shoes up. He’d already retrieved Clark from the kitchen, who was now sat on top of one of the shoes on the shoe rack, the car keys next to them.

‘Let me drive,’ Rose said, knowing that it would be pointless telling him not to go.

‘Go back to bed, please.’

‘I’m not going to bed when you are out there in...that,’ Rose said, indicating the thick fog that had rolled in, ‘and I’m the better driver.’

‘Well I’m not having _this_ argument again,’ The Doctor said. He picked up the car keys. Rose picked up Clark and put him in her dressing gown pocket.

‘Rose...’ The Doctor said quietly, putting his hand out, ‘give me the worm and go back to bed.’

‘I’m not leaving you.’

‘You aren’t leaving me! Technically speaking, I’m leaving you!’ The words had left his mouth before he’d realised what he was saying.Regret flooded through him as he saw Rose’s face crumple, tears forming in her eyes.

‘Rose, no, I didn’t mean...’ he pulled her into a hug, feeling like an absolute idiot. She allowed herself to be hugged but remained stiff, her arms staunchly by her sides.

‘You know I’d never leave you, I love you so much,’ The Doctor continued, ‘I just mean...I need to do this, and I need you to keep yourself and the baby safe.’ He tenderly pressed a kiss to the top of her head. She softened and reciprocated the hug.

‘I’m coming with you,’ Rose mumbled into his shoulder.

‘I’ll be back before you know it.’ He tried to reason.

Rose pulled away and The Doctor saw that look of determination in her eyes that told him he’d lost this argument.

‘I know you need to do this, I understand.’ Rose said firmly, ‘But I need to come with you. Now give me the car keys.’

In the end, he ended up behind the wheel of their Mini. After several minutes of attempting to fit her arms around her bump, Rose conceded that this was a battle she had lost. She reluctantly handed the keys back over to a slightly smug Doctor, and then made herself comfortable in the passenger seat (much easier said than done).

‘I said we needed a bigger car.’ The Doctor said as he pulled out the driveway.

‘And I said that letting you loose on the road with a Jeep would be a danger to society.’

The Doctor opened his mouth preparing to defend himself, and then closed it when he realised he had nothing.

‘I’m not a bad driver.’ He eventually replied weakly.

‘No, you aren’t. You just have no respect for the speed limit, other drivers, or the law.’ The Doctor looked over at Rose who flashed a grin at him, which he happily reciprocated. This was a running joke between them, and it felt good to be back in familiar territory.

The back lanes were quiet as they drove with their headlights on at full-beam, barely making a difference in the heavy fog. Rose had completely lost all her bearings of where they were, maybe her not driving was for the best after all. The Doctor was being uncharacteristically quiet, trying his best to get them to the lighthouse safely. During this silence, Clark had climbed out of Rose’s pocket and had made themselves at home on top of her bump.

‘Something moved!’ Clark exclaimed, breaking the silence in the car, ‘Something inside you moved!...Is that meant to happen?’

‘Yes.’ Rose replied.

‘What is it?’ Clark asked curiously.

‘A baby.’

‘A baby....you’re growing it?’

‘Yes.’

‘How did it get there?’

Rose could feel blood rushing to her cheeks. She shared a glance with The Doctor, noticing he was also looking rather flushed.

They both chose to ignore Clark.

‘Are you happy about it?’ Clark asked, unfazed.

‘Of course we are happy about it!’ The Doctor burst out, ‘You ask a lot of personal questions.’

Rose could tell Clark was hurt by this, she stroked the top of their head.

‘Sorry,’ The Doctor said a few seconds later, ‘I’m just a bit...stressed.’

‘That’s quite alright, I understand.’ Clark said, perking up again. ‘Does the baby have a name yet?’

‘No.’ The Doctor and Rose replied in unison, annoyance evident in their voices. Neither of them wanted to get into _this_ debate now. 

Clark finally got the hint.

They spent the rest of the drive in silence.

The Doctor parked up and Rose took in the view in front of her. She saw a large black and white tower on the side of a cliff, a tall figure stood in the opened doorway. The sky looked furious, a mixture of blues and greys and blacks. The only source of light was the lighthouse itself; the moon and stars had been enveloped in the fog.

The Doctor opened the car door and climbed out, walking around to the passenger side and helping Rose out. She’d started to feel unwell on the drive over and was desperately trying to hide it. The Doctor’s expression turned to one of despair when he looked at her, and she figured her attempt had failed.

‘What is it? What’s wrong?’ The Doctor asked her quietly, trying to keep the panic out of his voice.

‘Nothing, I’m just tired, I am over 8 months pregnant you know?’ Rose said weakly, unable to even convince herself, let alone him.

‘Oh believe me, I know.’ He didn’t believe her, but he knew telling her to go home would be pointless. ‘Just promise me you’ll go back home if you start feeling worse.’

‘Okay.’ Rose said, taking his hand. The Doctor had been prepared for another argument, the fact that she had so quickly agreed worried him more than anything else. He gulped and reminded himself he needed to stay calm, he needed to be strong for her sake.

They walked over to the lighthouse hand-in-hand.

‘Foggy evening.’ The lighthouse keeper said as they reached the door. He appeared to be an elderly man, with a white beard and wrinkled skin, although Rose suspected he was probably closer to 50 than 80.

‘Indeed,’ The Doctor replied ‘how are the bunions?’

‘Much better, thank you, doctor.’ He said, looking at Rose with a puzzled expression. To his credit, he didn’t say anything, just led them inside and closed the heavy door behind them. They had entered a living quarters of sorts, a small kitchen to one side, a sofa and an old tv to the other. Health and safety posters served as the only decoration, and the lack of windows gave the space a clinical feel.

‘Sorry, introductions,’ The Doctor said in an upbeat voice, ‘Tam this is my wife Rose, Rose this is Tam.’

‘It’s a pleasure to meet you Mrs Tyler.’ Tam said, shaking Rose’s hand.

‘Nice to meet you too Tam, and please, call me Rose.’ Rose still hadn’t quite gotten used to being Mrs Tyler, still seeing it as a title solely belonging to her mother.

‘So, what can I help you with?’ Tam asked The Doctor.

‘This fog...well...I think there is something in the fog.’

‘Whatever do you mean?’ Tam seemed utterly bewildered. Rose felt a surge of sympathy for Tam, after all, to him the Doctor was just...a doctor. The local GP that prescribed him antibiotics and bunion cream. This was probably beyond confusing for him. 

‘Let’s go up and I’ll see if I can show you.’ The Doctor said as he began to hop his way up the stairs, excitement in spite of the direness of the situation rolling off him. Rose sighed, knowing she wouldn’t be able to keep up with him tonight.

‘You don’t want to be climbing all these steps,’ Tam said to her, ‘Are you sure you wouldn’t rather have a cup of tea down here?’

‘I’m coming.’ Rose said firmly.

‘Are you sure?’ The Doctor asked from halfway up the stairs, he’d turned to look down at her and Rose saw concern etched on his face.

‘I’m fine,’ said Rose, pulling herself up the steps slowly. She reached The Doctor and took his hand. ‘We do better together.’ she said quietly.

He squeezed her hand, ‘I know.’

The Doctor bent his head down to the telescope, then sighed. They were in the control room, beneath the mezzanine that held the huge lamp, shielding their eyes away from it as it swung round above their heads.

‘I can almost glimpse it,’ he said, mostly to himself. ‘Tam, can you focus the beams?’ He said in a louder voice.

‘What, stop the lamp turning? In the fog?’ Tam sounded horrified.

‘Just for a few minutes. This could be important.’

Tam sighed. ‘Just for a moment or two.’ He went upstairs and pressed a few buttons and pulled a few levers, and the light gradually slowed then finally stopped altogether.

Immediately Tam’s radio sprang to life and a chorus of voices cried out in outrage.

‘All of them,’ said The Doctor, grabbing the mike. ‘Hello! Sorry, this is…Tam’s friend. Hi! Listen. 50.9193° north, 0.9653° east, could you possibly all focus your beams, please?’

The Doctor was met with shouts of protest.

‘It’s a medical emergency,’ Tam said, re-taking control of the microphone. ‘Apparently.’

Clearly the other lighthouse keepers trusted Tam, and their complaints stopped immediately. Up and down the coastline, Rose watchedas the beams of light moved into position, revealing...nothing but thick fog.

‘Come on, come on, come on.’ The Doctor muttered, looking through the telescope once more.

Still nothing.

The Doctor turned to Rose, ‘I was so sure.’ He said in a small voice, as he looked down at the floor.

‘Hey it’s ok,’ Rose took both of his hands and squeezed them. ‘It was worth a try.’

‘What the…?’ They heard Tam say from behind them. He moved forward as if in a trance, his focus solely on the sky.

The Doctor and Rose both looked up.

‘Oh my god.’ Rose stood frozen, taking in the sight in front of her.

Hanging in the sky was a vast spaceship made of swirling clouds and fog, the only clue that there was in fact a spaceship there being the visible rivets and smooth edges shifting in and out of focus. The sheer size of it was hard to comprehend; it seemed as wide as the sky itself. Rose was suddenly overcome with fear for her small family, how were _they_ going to stop _that_?

‘Well. That’s...interesting.’ The Doctor said as he pulled his glasses out of his pocket and moved to the window to get a closer look.

‘What are we going to do?’ asked Rose anxiously, staying rooted to the spot she was stood in.

The Doctor frowned. ‘Not sure. Knocking and asking nicely might be worth a try?’

‘Good a plan as any I guess.’ Rose replied, regaining her composure. If he wasn’t panicking then why should she? 

He span around and gave her one of his wild grins. ‘Allons-y Rose Tyler!’


End file.
